C63 AMG (W204) 2008 - 2015
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Found good winter tires to buy

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old Jan 30, 2019 | 11:11 AM
  #1  
Vladds's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Shutterbug
Liked
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
Found good winter tires to buy

So with the Subaru temporarily parked, I have to handle what's coming, snow-wise with the C63.
I have Continental DWS in the front, they're still in good shape, but DWS could not find traction even with 1 inch of snow in the rears.
So I upgraded to a set of Billzaks for the rears, which the car ate in 1 season (they were only 80% thread depth when I got them). The inner edge is really low.

So I wanted to let you guys know that I found a great deal on Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7.
I ordered them, $118/ea for the rear, stock size.
They should be good to keep me going.
Hakkapeliitta 7 held the land speed record on ice. I think that now the 8 series hold it.
Reply
Old Jan 30, 2019 | 12:19 PM
  #2  
chrisridebike8's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,768
Likes: 419
'10 C63
you really shouldn't put snow tires on just 2 wheels. you need them on the front to steer and brake as well. but good find on the tires
Reply
Old Jan 30, 2019 | 12:41 PM
  #3  
Vladds's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Shutterbug
Liked
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
I know about having to have matching.
And yes, my plan was to eventually update the fronts to Blizzak's as well.
Turns out that the Blizzaks wear a lot faster than the DWS.
I bought the Blizzaks at 80% thread with the front DWS having 80% of thread since new (had those since new and 1 season) when the blizzak's went into the rear.

And when I started to drive, at the beginning I was very careful with this combo, but towards the end of the season, I saw that traction control and ABS were taking care of business with no problem, so I stopped being worried about having winters in the rear only.
In NYC we only really have snow couple times a year and then the average traffic speed is 5-20 MPH. Speed limit is 25 MPH. The parkways don't do much better, as everyone freaks out.
And in rain, the DWS is slightly better than the Blizzak, but the traction control keeps everything in line.

Reply
Old Feb 3, 2019 | 10:50 AM
  #4  
Vladds's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Shutterbug
Liked
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
Found good winter tires to buy-photo605.jpg
Reply
Old Feb 3, 2019 | 12:08 PM
  #5  
thesaintusa's Avatar
Super Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 616
Likes: 102
From: Canada
2019 911 GTS / 2016 X3 / 2015 E63s / 1993 RX-7
The Hakka 7s are an amazing tire. A few years old but FANTASTIC.

As stated a set of Hakka 7 on the rear and the DWS on the front will create some serious potential for understeer.

We have Hakka R3s on the E63s and Hakka R2s on the Subaru STi. Both are amazing tires as well, but I would have preferred a set of Hakka 7/8 studded if we did not have a finished garage floor.
Reply
Old Feb 3, 2019 | 12:19 PM
  #6  
Vladds's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Shutterbug
Liked
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
I don't know that much about studs, but seems like some tires are factory studded and some are stud-able and you bring them to a tractionizer shop who studs them.
These seem to have the stud locating spots.
I wonder how aftermarket studs from a tractionizer compare with factory studs.
Reply
Old Feb 3, 2019 | 08:20 PM
  #7  
thesaintusa's Avatar
Super Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 616
Likes: 102
From: Canada
2019 911 GTS / 2016 X3 / 2015 E63s / 1993 RX-7
Originally Posted by Vladds
I don't know that much about studs, but seems like some tires are factory studded and some are stud-able and you bring them to a tractionizer shop who studs them.
These seem to have the stud locating spots.
I wonder how aftermarket studs from a tractionizer compare with factory studs.
The Nokian Studded tires seem to me to be quieter than other brands that are studded. I can only speak for Nokians that are studded from Nokian.
Reply
Old Feb 4, 2019 | 03:17 PM
  #8  
zonnie's Avatar
Member
5 Year Member
 
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 79
Likes: 4
2011 C63 AMG
i didn't even know studed tires were a thing till I saw them. so can you drive studded tires high speed? highway?
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Feb 4, 2019 | 06:28 PM
  #9  
thesaintusa's Avatar
Super Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 616
Likes: 102
From: Canada
2019 911 GTS / 2016 X3 / 2015 E63s / 1993 RX-7
You can definitely drive on the highway with studded tires.
Reply
Old Feb 4, 2019 | 06:40 PM
  #10  
Vladds's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Shutterbug
Liked
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
Originally Posted by thesaintusa
You can definitely drive on the highway with studded tires.
Do they grab and shoot out pebbles?, I think this was the justification for the big mudflaps rally style in the Subaru world.

And faced with dry pavement, how long till the studs wear down of break away? Can you drive a whole season?
Reply
Old Feb 5, 2019 | 01:45 AM
  #11  
thesaintusa's Avatar
Super Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 616
Likes: 102
From: Canada
2019 911 GTS / 2016 X3 / 2015 E63s / 1993 RX-7
Originally Posted by Vladds
Do they grab and shoot out pebbles?, I think this was the justification for the big mudflaps rally style in the Subaru world.

And faced with dry pavement, how long till the studs wear down of break away? Can you drive a whole season?
The studs don't grab sand/pebbles any more than a regular set of winter tires.

However, winter tires definitely through more sand/pebbles than summer tires due to their HUGE number of sipes.

I had a set of Hakka 4 studded tires for 3 seasons and the studs showed minimal wear despite probably being driven on dry roads in the winter.

FWIW the Nokian studs stay in place very well. I didn't lose any studs over the 4 years.
Reply
Old Feb 5, 2019 | 04:16 AM
  #12  
TylenolJones's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
2011 C63 | 2016 E63 | 2014 G63 | 1980 300GD
I've had a lot of success running Alpin PA4s but I'm in SW Pennsylvania, and other than a few days we haven't had that rough a winter so far. Drove across state through a light blizzard about a month ago at highway speeds with no trouble, for what that's worth.
Reply
Old Feb 8, 2019 | 12:45 PM
  #13  
zonnie's Avatar
Member
5 Year Member
 
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 79
Likes: 4
2011 C63 AMG
is there a night and day difference with stud tires? do stud tires essentially make the c63 driveable in the snow?

really curious about the studded tires now.

what is more effective an all wheel drive car with all season tires or a rwd car with studded winter tires?

coming from a bmw x drive..
Reply
Old Feb 8, 2019 | 12:49 PM
  #14  
Adi-Benz's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 4,761
Likes: 566
From: Milwaukee, WI
2010 C300 4MATIC........ 2011 C63 AMG.............. 2015 CLS400 4MATIC.....
Well, you should know x-drive is the worst AWD system, so that's one

Also anyone will say winter rwd > all season awd

Thats more or less debateable but you can watch YouTube videos

Last edited by Adi-Benz; Feb 8, 2019 at 01:00 PM.
Reply
Old Feb 8, 2019 | 03:35 PM
  #15  
Vladds's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Shutterbug
Liked
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
Weight has a lot to do with it as well.
Something heavy with a decent amount pressing and studded tires may be better than AWD but not in all snow conditions.
Slush, fresh snow, packed snow, ice + snow are very different.
Kinda how the DOT highway plough trucks are loaded with weight and have chains but traction is only in the rear, one or two axles.
Reply
Old Feb 8, 2019 | 03:40 PM
  #16  
Vladds's Avatar
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
5 Year Member
Photogenic
Shutterbug
Liked
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
And a small review:
Initially it seemed these are more noisy than the Blizzaks and that dry and slightly wet traction is quite inferior.
But then I decided to do a burnout.
Now it's much better ..
The top layer may have been too new/glazed.
Reply
Old Feb 8, 2019 | 05:52 PM
  #17  
thesaintusa's Avatar
Super Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 616
Likes: 102
From: Canada
2019 911 GTS / 2016 X3 / 2015 E63s / 1993 RX-7
Originally Posted by zonnie
is there a night and day difference with stud tires? do stud tires essentially make the c63 driveable in the snow?

really curious about the studded tires now.

what is more effective an all wheel drive car with all season tires or a rwd car with studded winter tires?

coming from a bmw x drive..
A GOOD studded winter tire such a Nokian Hakka 7/8 etc will be FANTASTIC on ice, and excellent in all other winter conditions.

A studded tire such as the General Arctic Altimax is not in the same league as a Nokian studded tire.

The North American market is JUST coming around to considering winter tires for winter conditions, that they are not pushing any of the high end winter tires that are studded. They spent years dispelling 'studded winter tires' as being inferior, and their testing methodology supports this. Tirerack tests what they sell, and consistently show the studded Arctic Altimax to be inferior to the best 'grip' winter tires such as the Blizzak/X-Ice3 etc. But if they tested the high end studded tires, the results would be different.

However, if you RARELY drive in icy/hard packed snow covered roads than studded tires are of less value.



FWIW I drove my c63 with winter tires for 2 winters and had ZERO issues. The C63 is very well balanced and handles very nicely with smooth steering input on snow covered roads.

Obviously an AWD vehicle with winter tires will outperform (accelerate / corner) a RWD winter vehicle with winter tires, but they will both stop in a similar distance.

AWD systems are very different. I prefer the AWD system in my Subaru STi versus our E63s. The Subaru handles quite neutral but you can induce oversteer if you want. The E63 tends to oversteer as it appears to be definitely biased towards the rear.

Last edited by thesaintusa; Feb 8, 2019 at 05:56 PM.
Reply
Old Feb 12, 2019 | 06:07 PM
  #18  
zonnie's Avatar
Member
5 Year Member
 
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 79
Likes: 4
2011 C63 AMG
Can you provide some links to the winter tire deals? studded
Reply

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:44 PM.

story-0
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-1
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-2
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-4
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-6
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

Slideshow: These overlooked Mercedes-Benz models never got the spotlight, but they quietly delivered more than most remember.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-13 19:35:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

Slideshow: A well-used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300D with more than one million miles is now looking for a new owner, and it still appears ready for more.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-10 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

Slideshow: From bulletproof sedans to surprisingly tough SUVs, these Mercedes models proved that the three-pointed star can go the distance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-08 09:55:49


VIEW MORE